Pilot Study on Training Emerging Adults Skills in Navigating College

Lifetime risk for developing an alcohol use disorder increases with earlier onset of alcohol consumption. This risk may reflect a tendency for escalated alcohol intake among youth due to immature executive control, leading to more frequent binge drinking, which is associated with more alcohol-related problems. Binge drinking is associated with deficits in behavioral flexibility, which may suggest impaired control networks that contribute to automatic behavior. Individuals with an alcohol or substance use disorder (A/SUD) exhibit attentional bias toward drug- or alcohol-related stimuli that have attained salience through consistent use. Reward history increases attention towards non-drug stimuli, even among individuals with no lifetime A/SUD. Preliminary data (from Dr. Boettiger's lab) from a nationally representative US adult sample using data collected via Prolific found that a questionnaire measure of mindfulness moderates the relationship between alcohol misuse and attention to reward. Given evidence that heavy alcohol drinking impairs behavioral flexibility, which in turn promotes escalating intake, insight into the relationship between mindfulness and behavioral flexibility could inspire new strategies to prevent alcohol and substance use disorders in people at elevated risk.